Coupling for electric conductors.



A. H, CONWAY.

COUPLING FOR ELECTRIC OONDUGTORS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 3, 1907.

Patented Apr. 6, 1909.

W M A quickly and readily connected or discon- The invention has for on ranged to permit t i detachably i p the contacts by which the electric ClICult'lS 5e lation block showing its contacts.

, corvnxplete 1th these objects in view and others, as will appear as the 1 tion, Figure 1 is a longitudinal 'an front yiews of the two portions of the contacts.

.unrrnn srArns w s ALBERT n. CONWAY, or MASON CITY, IOWA.

COUPLING FOR ELECTRIC CONDUCTORS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

. Patented April 6, 1909. Application filed ma a, 1907. Serial No. 371,616.

To all whom it may concern: 1 Referring to the drawing, 1 and 2 desig- Be it known that I, ALBERT H. CONWAY, a nate the two parts of the shell of the coupcitizen of the United States, residing at Maling and son City, in the county of Cerro Gordo and turned and polished on the outside or other- State of Iowa, have invented new and useful wise suitably finished to match the fixture. Improvements in Couplings for Electric Con- .The shell 2 is reduced and provided with a ductors, of which the fol owing is a specifithread 3 for engaging the internal thread 4, cation. and the ends of the sections 1 and 2 are bored This invention relates to a coupling for and tapped to receive the ceiling pipe 5 and electric conductors, and relates more particu stem 6 of the fixture, anddouble shoulders larly to a coupling device intended more par- 7 are cut in the ends of-the sections to receive ticularly for use in connection with electric the casings usually employed in connection light fixtures, l with the pipes 5 and 6. Ineach part of the coupling is a fiber body 8 preferably in the form of a disk and of such size as to have a forced fit in the chamber of its respective coupling section. Each bushing orinisulation block is provided with a central bore 9 extending partially through the same for receiving a-contact'and on opposite sides of thebore 9 are passages 10 for receiving the screws 11. These screws secure an annular contact or ring 12 to one of the flat ends of the insulation black and in concentric relation to the central contact. One of the screws' 11 hasa threaded engagement with the contact ring, while the other screw has its head countersunk in the ring and. the threaded end thereof serves as a binding ost. The contact 13 in the upper block has aconical. depression or seat 14 for receiving the conical end of the central contact 15 in the lower insulation block. Each central contact has a stem 16 that passes through the insulation block and is threaded at its outer end to serve as a binding post. The stems 16 are eccentrically arranged with respect to the body. portions of the central contacts so that they will prevent the contacts from turning as on or removed from the stems, since the body portions of the contacts snugly fit in the countersunk bores of the insulation blocks. On the threaded ends of the stems 16,screws 11, nuts 19 and the end of the conductor 18, is-applied solder for insuring good electrical connections. v

The insulation blocks are assembled in their respective sections of the coupling in such a manner that the contact rings '12 will bear one on the other and the central contact 17 engage in the other central con tact 13, so that one side of the circuit is completed through the ring contacts and the op osite sidethrough the central contacts. I o insure the proper engagement'of the whereby the latter can be nected with respect to the ceiling support, i thereby facilitating the cleaning of the fixtures without requiring an electrician to be called for the purpose. I of its objects to improve and simplify the construction and operation of devices of this character so as to be comparatively easy and inexpensive to manufacture, complosed of'few parts and are electric lamp fixture to be connected or disconnected without requiring the conductors to be out or connected. A further object of the invention is the provision of a couplin composed oftwo parts connecte by screw threads and each having a block of insulation carrying description proceeds, the invention comprises the various novel features of construction and arrangement of arts which will be more fully described hereinafter and set forth with particularity in the claims appended hereto. In the accompanying. drawing, which illustrates one of the embodiments of the invensection of the 2 and 3 are semi-sectional cou ling. gs. coupling shell. Fig. 4 is a'central vertical section of one of the insulation blocks show-' ing the contacts thereof. -Fi 5 is a bottom plan view of theinsulation b ock.' Fi 6 is a verticalcentral section of the secon insu- Fi 7 isa top plan view thereof. Fig. 8 is a si e elevation of the second insulation block and Similar reference characters are employed to designate similar parts throughout the several figures.

the nuts are screwed apertures and rings for companion contacts, one of the contact rings is preferably bent outwardly from its insulation block, as indicated at 20 in Fig. 4, thereby giving resiliency to the said ring so that it will bear upon the companion ring with considerable pressure, when the two parts of the cou ling are screwed home. One of the centra contacts, preferably the contact 15, is movably mounted in its insulation block and for this purpose, the bore 9 thereof is of such a depth as to receive a helical compression spring 21 interposed between the contact 15 and the bottom of the bore, so as to normallyv urge the contact outwardly. By this arrangement, the contact 15 will be maintained in engagement with the contact 13 by the tension of the spring, thus insuring a good electrical connectlon.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing,

combinationofa shell com osed of detach-- ably connected sections, a b ock of insulation fitted in the sections and each provided with apertures and a central countersunk bore, contact rings arranged on the op osed faces of the blocks; screws assing tlirough the Iwlding the latter'in Having thus described the invention, what place, one screw in each block having its ead countersunk in the ring and its opposite through the blocks, threads of the stems,-

nuts engaging the threads of the stems, conductors secured to the stems by the nuts, and a spring disposed under the head of one of the contacts and housed in the block for such contact for yieldingly holding the contact in engagement.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a casing composed of detachably connected sections, a block of insulation in each section, contact rings provided with apertures at diametrically opposite points, oneaperture of each ring being countersunk and t e other threaded, a air of screws extending through each bloc and one having its head countersunk in the adjacent ring and the other engaged in the threaded a erture, one screw being longer than the ot er and serving as a binding post, means for securing conductors to the longer screws, central contacts set into the blocks and having threaded stems eccentrically arranged and extending out of the blocks, conductors connected with the stems, nuts on the stems for securing the conductors thereto, and a s ring on one of the stems for yieldingly hol in'engagement with the other.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' ALBERT- CONWAY Witnesses: HUGH H. SHEPARD,

E. CLARK."

mg the contact 

